「(幸)Nie」的基本構造就是手梏之形，根據學者的研究，此字讀音接近「甲（柙）」。至於「gu」字，此字就是在「(幸)nie」上加上「口」形以作為區分，讀音接近「告（梏）」。「nie」和「gu」的讀音在甲骨、金文中還不見明顯的差異，直到戰國文字，「(幸)nie」與「gu」的讀音才有所區別。甲骨的「(幸)nie」形基本上差異不大，西周金文「(幸)nie」形大致可分為：（一）上部為「大」形（二）上部為「文」形（三）上部為「」形，其他字形或上部訛成「屮」，或上部加「屮」。戰國各系文字雖略有差異，但基本上就是承襲西周金文這四種樣式而來，小篆「(幸)」形是承襲上部「大」形而來。至於從「(幸)nie」的「zhi」、「jia」、「yi」、「shi」、「鞫」、「zhi」等字，其義或從「zhi」字引申出來，部分則是借其音來表義。「(幸)Nie」在漢代或寫成類「圭」形，遂造成「執」與「埶」有互訛的現象，像文獻中的「zhou」字，就是「盩」字的訛誤。

The basic composition of “nie(幸)” is the shape of handcuffs, which sounds like “jia 甲 (or xia 柙)” according to scholar's research. In the case of “gu”, it is composed with “kou（口）” upon “nie(幸)”, sounded like “gao 告（or gu 梏）”. In oracle bone script and bronze script of the Western Zhou, “nie(幸)” and “gu” failed to sound pretty differently; however, later in the warring states period, “gu” and “nie” began to sound quite differently. In oracle bone script, basically the shape of “nie(幸)” only has slight diversities, for instance it’s shape in bronze script of the Western Zhou can be sorted as: 1. “da（大）” of the upper section; 2. “wen（文）” of the upper section; 3. “ ” of the upper section; and some mistaken “屮” of the upper section or a superfluously “屮” added on the upper section. Later in the warring states period, it mainly followed the above four styles and not much differed, such as the “幸” in small seal script followed the “da（大）” of the upper section. More examples can be found in words like “zhi”, “jia”, “yi ”, “shi”, “ju（鞫）”, “zhi” and others that adopted the meaning or sound from “nie”. In Han Dynasty, “nie(幸)” followed the writing resembling “kui（圭）” that caused “zhi（執）” and “shi（埶）” mutually mistaken, making “zhou” in literature a mistaken character of “zhou（盩）”. 。